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Topic: How Long Before LHC Results Are Announced? (Read 17514 times)

I know that it will take some time before a definite conclusion on whether a Higgs Particle is declared found or not. But how long roughly? A few months perhaps? Does anyone have a better understanding?

There are hardware & software triggers that will ensure only "interesting" events are recorded. That will reduce it from trillions of events to 100,000 or so for each experiment. Even so, that's a lot of data to work through.

The article I read on the day it was turned on said that they were only testing things right now, not actually running an experiment. From what I understand, they are going to run 900 GeV collisions next week, then 10 TeV in October, then shut down for the winter and resume next year at 14 TeV (full design energy).

Though they believe the Higgs Boson will be produced, the analyzation of data could take a year or so to come up with a conclusion, and three or more years to have enough statistics to say that they have definitely found it.

I was surfing through the BBC Science and Nature news site but I have found this bit of bad news regarding to CERN's LHCwhich the engineers have had to stop due to the magnets releasing a ton of helium and won't let it start again until after this weekend. ohhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7626256.stm

I was surfing through the BBC Science and Nature news site but I have found this bit of bad news regarding to CERN's LHCwhich the engineers have had to stop due to the magnets releasing a ton of helium and won't let it start again until after this weekend. ohhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7626256.stm

This is obviously to stop the protons from sounding like disney characters.

The article I read on the day it was turned on said that they were only testing things right now, not actually running an experiment. From what I understand, they are going to run 900 GeV collisions next week, then 10 TeV in October, then shut down for the winter and resume next year at 14 TeV (full design energy).

Though they believe the Higgs Boson will be produced, the analyzation of data could take a year or so to come up with a conclusion, and three or more years to have enough statistics to say that they have definitely found it.

I was surfing through the BBC Science and Nature news site but I have found this bit of bad news regarding to CERN's LHCwhich the engineers have had to stop due to the magnets releasing a ton of helium and won't let it start again until after this weekend. ohhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7626256.stm

This is obviously to stop the protons from sounding like disney characters.

No Sharon I couldn't think of a better word than "surfing" last night. But I have always been fascinated by the work that the scientists and physcists (sp) are doing at CERN in Europe.

On Big Bang Day I watched it also listened to everything as far as I could. I had set my alarm clock just so that I'd not miss the start of it.

Yep - these things happen. It's a setback, but nothing too unusual for folks who work in this field.

The superconducting magnets are liquid-helium cooled, but liquid helium boils at 4K, so if something overheats for any reason the helium gets out sharpish! The magnets will be designed in such a way that the helium-escape in such circumstances is "managed" without causing catastrophic damage.

Of course there could be damage from the original cause of the overheat, and in any case, re-cooling the magnet takes a while...

I was surfing through the BBC Science and Nature news site but I have found this bit of bad news regarding to CERN's LHCwhich the engineers have had to stop due to the magnets releasing a ton of helium and won't let it start again until after this weekend. ohhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7626256.stm

This is obviously to stop the protons from sounding like disney characters.

No Sharon I couldn't think of a better word than "surfing" last night. But I have always been fascinated by the work that the scientists and physcists (sp) are doing at CERN in Europe.

On Big Bang Day I watched it also listened to everything as far as I could. I had set my alarm clock just so that I'd not miss the start of it.

I think it is a big shame that the LHC is already on the blink. I hope they bought the extra years warranty from LHC world. I am now conCERNed that this whole thing may end up as a damp squid. I hope someone is learning by mistakes as we type.

I think it is a big shame that the LHC is already on the blink. I hope they bought the extra years warranty from LHC world. I am now conCERNed that this whole thing may end up as a damp squid. I hope someone is learning by mistakes as we type.

Yep, seems they forgot to add a can of Castrol GtX coolant and that it now need to going for servicing for the next two months !.....they'll probably be hoodwinked into buying some new shock absorbers too !!

Damp squid? What are you on about, woman? Squids live in the sea so of course they're damp; they don't wear diving suits, you know!

I think you mean a damp squib - a squib being a type of explosive device. As such, the expression makes a lot more sense. I though everyone knew that.

As you can see from the article below, there are other definitions of squib.

from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-squib.htmSeveral things are referred to as “squibs.” In explosives, a squib is a small explosive device which works almost like a miniature stick of dynamite. The term is also used more generally to refer to deceptively small things, like an explosive comment in a conversation or a small sailboat which can be used for high speed racing. For fans of the Harry Potter novels, a squib is a child born to a magical family who lacks magical ability; the term is taken from an English slang phrase, “squib,” which refers to a firework which fails to ignite.

In the sense of explosives, a squib is a small tube packed with an explosive charge. It can be detonated with a fuse or a remote control, depending on how it is wired. Despite the small size, a squib can pack a serious explosive punch which makes it extremely useful. Early squibs were used to detonate cannons, since their smaller charge could rapidly ignite the powder in the cannon, firing the cannonball.

There are other uses for squibs. These small explosives can cause a rapid expansion of gases, for example, and they are the force behind air bags in cars. Squibs are also used in special effects for film and stage; one common use of squibs is as fake bullets which will explode blood packs worn by actors to make it look as though the actor has been hit. Fireworks professionals may also use squibs in the course of their work, as will other explosive experts.

Squibs also pop up in some interesting places. They are the power behind ejection seats in military aircraft, for example, and they are also used in planes to throw out chaff, which distracts approaching aircraft or missiles.

This explosives use led to slang terms like “wet squib,” since a squib which is wet cannot light up, because the moisture soaks the charge and the fuse. Some regions of the world simply refer to any dud firework as a squib.

In the world of Harry Potter, squibs are relatively unusual, and they are sometimes viewed as figures of pity. Because they are born into a magical world, they are aware of their potential, and they may also experience pressure from their families to express magical abilities. Some squibs live at the fringes of the magical world as servants and clerks, while others pursue lives in the muggle community, where they will not be constantly reminded of their failure

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